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The search for a vice provost of Graduation Education/dean of Graduate Studies, which began last academic year, is continuing. Several finalists came to the campus last spring, but, unfortunately, that first round did not lead to a successful recruitment.

The recruitment advisory committee interviewed additional candidates during fall quarter, and the campus is inviting one candidate for a campus visit on Thursday-Friday, Jan. 14-15.

“I am grateful to the recruitment advisory committee for its ongoing work to identify strong candidates for this important role and to all those who met with and offered feedback on the finalists last spring,” Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter said. “I am likewise thankful that Vice Provost and Dean (Jeff) Gibeling continues to serve while the search continues.”

In line with campus practice, information on the finalist will be provided roughly 48 hours prior to the visit.

Diversity-inclusion engagement forum: Jan. 14

The third in a series of Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Engagement Forums — for staff, faculty and students — is scheduled for next week.

The forum will run from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, in the multipurpose room at the Student Community Center. Seating is limited; . Refreshments will be served.

The organizers will follow the same format they used at the two other forums (one on the Davis campus and the other at the health system in Sacramento): People will be invited to engage in small-group discussions and then join a broader forum on how �ٺ���Ƶ can best support and embody the principles of diversity and inclusion.

Snag a butterfly, bring it in for a beer

The search is on for the first cabbage white butterfly of 2016, and a cold pitcher of beer (or its equivalent) awaits the first person to catch one.

Professor Art Shapiro has been running his annual Beer for a Butterfly Contest since 1972, recording the date of the butterfly’s first flight each year for his research on biological response to climate change.

The insect requires a string of days above a certain temperature before first flight, and that date has been gradually coming earlier as the region warms.

Shapiro, by the way, hardly ever loses — usually beating out his own graduate students. In fact, he caught a cabbage white over New Year’s weekend, but the butterfly was a carryover from the fall brood and thus did not count for the contest.

To participate, look for an adult cabbage white butterfly (it’s white with faint black spots on the top half, and can often be found in vacant lots, fields and gardens) and bring it — alive — to the Department of Evolution and Ecology, 2320 Storer Hall, during normal business hours to be verified.

Picnic Day application deadlines approach

The Picnic Day Committee is reminding clubs, departments and off-campus groups to get their applications in for this year’s event, to be part of the entertainment and exhibits, animal events and Multicultural Children’s Fair, parade, food booths and Student Organization Fair.

• Food booths — Application deadline is Monday, Jan. 18; start the process (online orientation).
• All other applications — Deadline 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2. The application materials are (scroll down to “Applications & Forms”). Click on a category to begin the application process (also look for the “policies” link for further information about the category).

The 102nd Picnic Day will be held Saturday, April 16. The theme: “Cultivating Our Authenticity.”

For more information, contact the Picnic Day Committee: in person, 349 Memorial Union; or by telephone, (530) 752-6320.

Land stewardship, gardening volunteers sought

The �ٺ���Ƶ Arboretum and Public Garden has put out a call for a new volunteer corps, for land stewardship, and also is seeking new volunteers for the arboretum’s well established gardening corps.

Training sessions for both groups are set to begin later this month. Space is limited; applications are due Friday, Jan. 15. Each participant will be asked to pay a $20 materials fee when training begins.

Land stewardship volunteers will join staff in working in the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and on other naturalized lands on campus, on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings. Projects will include light construction, trail repair, native plant care and weed control, and volunteers will use a variety of equipment, including power tools.

Gardening volunteers work in teams on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday mornings, to help maintain and beautify the landscapes that comprise the �ٺ���Ƶ Arboretum and Public Garden. Each team focuses on a different area; volunteers work in collaboration with horticultural staff.

Each group has a separate training program:

• Land stewardship — One session, 9 a.m.-noon, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, Jan. 26, 27 or 28.
• Gardening — Six sessions, 9 a.m.-noon, Thursdays, Jan. 28-March 3.

Questions? Contact Roxanne Loe by phone, (530) 752-4880, or email.